Stardate: 70223:0023
Title: Anchors Away (Pt.2)
Author: Ensign Andrew Keller
Time: Current
Scene: Starbase 9/USS Relentless (Our Universe)
The doors slid closed behind him as Andrew Keller entered into the quarters he
had been allocated. His bags still lay on the floor where he had dumped them
when he was first shown in by his new XO, Commander Winters. All except one.
Earlier, one bag had been placed on the table in the centre of the room. Andrew
crossed to the table and opened the bag. From the bag, Andrew removed some items
and placed them around his new quarters: a photograph of himself with his arms
draped around the neck of a pretty woman with long brown hair which he placed on
a sideboard; a small urn which he placed on a table beside his bed; finally, a
second photograph – this one of brown-haired woman – which Andrew looked at for
what seemed an eternity. He ran his fingers lovingly down the glass.
“Well, here we are. This is our new home. I hope you like it,” he said to no-one
in particular, although deep inside, he knew who his words were meant for.
Putting the picture on the table, Andrew moved to the rest of his luggage and
over the next hour or so, unpacked his belongings and placed them in the storage
compartments. Feeling hungry once he had finished, he went to the food
replicator.
“Black coffee, Arabica beans, Unsweetened.” He waited a few seconds for the
replicator to comply and then lifted a steaming mug of coffee from the centre
pad. “Scotch haggis with mashed potato and turnip. Side serving of beef gravy.”
Again, he waited a few seconds while his food order was replicated and he lifted
out the tray. Crossing to the table, he sat down and began to eat.
Afterwards, he relaxed on the sofa as he sipped as his coffee. He looked out of
the windows as the stars sped past. He estimated the ship was travelling at Warp
3. Commander Winters had informed him of the plot regarding the Omega bomb and
the de-bugging of the ship by Lt. Yonatan Levi, the acting Chief of
Operations: in fact, during his tour he had walked past a crew member conducting
such a search.
*Andrea would have loved it here* he thought to himself. Andrea was his late
wife – killed by a Cardassian warship during the Battle of Bajor in 2374 after
being forced into an asteroid belt due to an error of judgement by the ship's
captain. Andrew had relived the incident many times: his ship, the USS Capquest
had come to the aid of a stricken Klingon vessel, the Drak'togh.
As they approached the vessel, Keller had detected a miniscule change in the
ship's heading. Given that the ship was supposedly derelict, Keller became
suspicious and informed his captain that he considered there to be a trap.
Captain Hawkridge ignored his helmsman and moved closer to the derelict.
Hawkridge was inexperienced in battle situations – the majority of his commands
had been science expeditions – and without warning the Drak'togh powered up and
opened fire on the Capquest. Keller, however, had anticipated the possibility of
a trap and had already laid in a secondary evasive course, which he activated in
attempting to move the Capquest clear of the snare. As he did so, a Cardassian
warship appeared from aft and opened fire. The blast drained the shields
significantly, although they held firm.
Knowing that another hit would cause the shields to fail, Keller initiated
another evasive protocol but Captain Hawkridge felt that they should stand their
ground and countermanded the order, removing Keller from duty for disobeying
orders. As both enemy ships opened fire, the shields fell and the commandeered
Klingon vessel scored a direct hit, blowing out part of the ship’s hull. As the
battle wore on, Keller – still on the bridge – recommended several retreat
strategies as they were both outgunned and outmanoeuvred, but Hawkridge insisted
on a fighting stance.
Time after time, the USS Capquest was damaged and driven back. Before long, a
second Cardassian warship entered the battle and forced the Capquest into an
asteroid field in which they would surely be destroyed. At the First Officer's
insistence, Hawkridge grudgingly let Keller return to his post and through
Keller's skill in using small gravitational shifts among the asteroids, he
bounced the ship through the field; the ship survived but was badly damaged.
It had, however, sustained heavy losses – including Andrew's wife, Andrea.
Captain Hawkridge, amazingly, wanted to return to the battle but was relieved of
duty by the First Officer and the ship headed for Starbase 23. Its war with the
Dominion was over.
Fighting back tears, Andrew drained the last of his coffee and slumped into a
haunted sleep. Before long, he was awakened by his name being called over the
ship's comm channel: “Ensign Keller, please report to the bridge.”
Facing up to his first bridge duty, Keller got up and headed for the door... a
new chapter in his life about to begin.
=================
Ensign Andrew Keller
Helm
USS Relentless
NCC–11966
=================
